Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger:  Ointments and Groceries
by SoTiredBlah
Summary: Post- A Bond of Heaven and Fire. Sequel to A Sword to His Heart. Ahim is just worrying about Joe. Gai and Luka think that she's worrying too much, and Marvelous is just giving orders. JoexAhim, and a bit of MarvelousxLuka. Possibly a samurai couple? ;D


**Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Ointment, Groceries, and Attachment**

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><p>Disclaimer: I don't own Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger… I pirated it ;D<p>

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><p><strong>Yes, I know. I should be working on the Wedding Fic. It's almost halfway done through the third chapter? But I had writer's block halfway though Staff… and then this idea came along in the most randomest of ways ever. I won't even bother to explain how it happened. So please enjoy my first step into Gokaiger fanfiction! And hopefully, I'll see you all again.<strong>

**After the final chapter of my Boukenger fanfic. **

**Which is also halfway in progress…**

…

**I'll get back to work now…**

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><p>"Where is Joe-san?" Footsteps clattered across stairs of the Gokai Galleon, as Ahim de Famille descended from the living quarters of the ship, wearing her usual silk and fur jacket and white dress.<p>

"Where is Joe-san?" she asked again to the gathered Gokaigers, who were just lounging in their usual spots.

"No idea," Marvelous replied from his throne-like chair. His eyes were closed, and his head was propped against a hand resting on an armrest.

Luka Millfy set a hand of playing cards opposite of Don 'Doc_' _Dogoier, who scratched his blond haired head in frustration. "I think he might be training again," Luka said as she laid back on the couch in a compliant manner.

"Again?" Ahim asked as loud as her quiet voice would allow. "So soon?"

Luka looked over at her friend, who was now looking down at her twiddling thumbs, "He could be over at his usual sparring area," she said, referring to the secluded forest that Joe had found, and rigged with self-launching daggers.

"I see," Ahim looked up, her eyes a little red. "I will go there right now, to prevent him from overworking himself."

"Ahim, wait." Luka got up, and went into the galley, returning with a small vial of a clear fluid. "Some ointment for his wounds. Make sure he applies it, even if he doesn't want it."

"Captain's orders," Marvelous added lazily.

Ahim blushed, and took the ointment from Luka. "I will do my best," she said, as she walked towards the porthole.

"Oh, Ahim!" Doc called her from his seat. "After you find Joe, can you go to the Grocery Store? We're running low on some groceries."

"Captain's orders," Marvelous repeated again from his seat, barely moving his lips. His comment earned him a glare from Luka, who put her hands on her hips.

Ahim nodded, and exited the lounge.

"Really, Marvelous?" Luka asked him in exasperation, as she moved over to the chair. "You just had to add on 'Captain's orders' to everything we say?"

"Yeah," Marvelous looked up and saw the ex-thief looking down at him in anger. "I did have to. Now be quiet, I want to sleep."

"Marvelous!" Luka protested.

"Captain's orders," Marvelous replied, which earned him a light smack on the head from Luka.

Gai looked over of Doc, who just shrugged.

"I think Ahim-san likes Joe-san," he commented. "And that Luka-san and Marvelous-san are always flirting with each other."

Doc played a full house down on the table, and shrugged again, not trusting himself to speak.

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><p>Ahim treaded carefully across the forest ground, which was littered with fallen leaves, branches and twigs. In her hands, she held the wound ointment tightly, taking great care to make sure it didn't drop.<p>

_Why does Joe-san always have to work so hard? _She thought to herself, _And why does he have to make me worry so much. I spend half my time worrying about him now, ever since the time I lent him my sword._

Ahim continued on, worrying about Joe's safety, hoping that he wasn't pushing himself too hard.

She was lost in her thoughts, and didn't notice where she was going until she heard her name being called.

"Ahim! Ahim!"

Ahim looked up and saw Joe running towards her, his hair disheveled and his clothes torn. Ahim's eyes started to tear up as she noticed the cuts on his arms, as well as the large bandage that covered his chest.

"Ahim, what are you doing here?" Joe held her arms, his voice brusque. "I thought I told you to stay away from here."

"I know, but…" Ahim's voice trailed off, while she hid her face from the swordsman, who noticed them anyways.

"Ahim," Joe asked in a softer tone. "Why are you crying?"

"You train so hard, Joe-san," she murmured, "But you always return back to the galleon with a lot of cuts and bruises. And now, you're still injured, but you're still training, "she said, gesturing to the bandage that was applied.

"I have to, Ahim. As a swordsman, I can't rest until I spend two hours everyday honing my skills,"

"But do you have to be so harsh on yourself?" she asked him, looking at him with teary eyes.

"If I don't push myself to the limit, how can I improve?" Joe replied.

"But," Ahim started to protest, but was cut short.

"Ahim, are you so worried that I'm going to hurt myself?" Joe asked bluntly.

Ahim nodded vigorously, which Joe reacted to with a small smile.

"Is that so?" Joe said, "Well, if you're that worried, then I suppose I can let you stay here to watch that I don't get hurt."

"Can you promise?" Ahim raised a clenched fist, with a pinky finger sticking up.

"I can only try to, Ahim-sama," Joe answered with a twitch of his lips, linking his rough pinky with her soft pinky.

Joe led the former princess to a spot that he deemed safe, which none of his swords would reach. Ahim folded her dress, and sat down, still holding the ointment with both hands.

She watched Joe take his place in the center of the clearing, and slashed through several ropes. Instantly, a large barrage of swords sprang from the ground, as Joe did his best to parry, deflect or evade them. However, this time, he had to make sure that he deflected the swords away from the area that Ahim was sitting. The first wave was over in a few seconds, leaving Joe panting hard from exhaustion. He looked behind him and saw, to his satisfaction, that none of the daggers had gone near Ahim, staying at least a meter away from her. Joe looked at her face, and noted that she had a calm look on, and in her eyes, he saw trust. Trust in him; trust that he would protect her, trust that she wouldn't be harmed during his training regime.

Joe looked back with some difficulty, finding it hard to tear his eyes away from the petite girl that would have one day ruled a planet.

Picking up a sword, he threw it towards the second bunch of ropes. The sword sliced cleanly through the ropes, triggering the second volley of swords.  
>Multiple blades flashed in the sunlight, as they rocketed towards Joe, who began to deflect them all to his feet, smashing them down with the flat side of his sword.<p>

"Joe-san!" Ahim's voice cut through the clearing, as more blades flew towards him in rapid succession. Joe spared a glance at her, noticing that her face was strained, and she was getting up to help him.

"Stay there!" Joe yelled at her.

"But-"

"Stay there!" Joe said again, with more emphasis. "You said you would let me do this!"

Joe continued to parry the swords, but twice, the swords managed to pierce through his defence, and slashed him, causing Ahim to stand up again.

In a few moments, the swords stopped, allowing Joe some time to recover. He dropped to the ground, propping himself up on his Gokai Saber.

"Joe-san!" Ahim ran towards the swordsman, who had collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. She popped the lid off of the vial, and began to dab some of the ointment on his cuts. Joe hissed as he felt the salve sting him.

"Sorry," Ahim said, as she continued to apply the ointment, "I know it hurts, but please try to bear it."

Joe regained his breath and opened his eyes, "Thank you, Ahim," he whispered. He struggled to get up, but fell back down to the ground. "Ahim, help me up," he said.

Ahim started to tear up again, "But won't the wounds just reopen?"

Joe sighed, "Then find me to wrap around my wounds," he said. "Please."

Ahim looked around, but she saw nothing that she could use. Except for her dress. With a great effort, she took the bottom of her dress and tore it into strips.

"You didn't have to do that," Joe said, amused. "There were bandages in my bag," he pointed to his brown bag over by a tree.

Ahim blushed, "I did not know it was there," she apologized.

"I know," Joe lifted up a hand, and gently tapped her on the head. Ahim flinched slightly at the touch, but she didn't say anything. "Keep calm in any situation," Joe advised her.

"Yes," Ahim slowly wrapped the strips around Joe's wounds, taking care not to tie them up too tight.

Within fifteen minutes, Ahim had covered all the wounds that she had deemed deep. Joe stood up, and gingerly moved his arms. "Thank you, Ahim," he said, looking at her.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to stop training for today," he said, as he picked up the bag. "Ahim, why did you come down here, anyways?"

"Oh," Ahim blushed and looked towards the ground. "Doc needed me to go and get some groceries."

"Really?" Joe walked back to Ahim. "I'll come with you then, and help you carry them."

"You do not have to do that," she urged him. "Go back to the ship and get some rest!"

"I need to get some things from the grocery store anyways," Joe replied. "Let's go."

"Has it been two hours yet?" Ahim asked hesitantly. "You said you need to train at least two hours."

Joe shifted uncomfortably, "More or less," he mumbled, as he turned and began to walk out of the forest.

With some confusion, Ahim followed after him.

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><p>"Lunch is served!" Doc laid four plates on the table, each displaying a different meal on top.<p>

Marvelous broke into a huge smile, and immediately took a loud bite out of his chicken.

Gai sat down at the table, "Where's Ahim-san and Joe-san?" he asked, "Did they come back yet?"

"Probably not," Luka answered, taking a sip of her soup. "They're most probably going to buy the groceries right now."

"How do you know that?" Gai asked.

"Because Joe always needs to train for around two hours," Luka took another sip, "And he had already trained for an hour before Ahim went down."

"So, they'll be going to the grocery store together?" Doc asked, "Isn't that bad for the two of them?"

"No, no, no!" Gai raised one of his hands up. "Ahim won't be able to carry the bags, and as a result, Joe is going to offer to help her! It's going to be romantic!"

Luka looked at him, and snorted in disbelief.

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><p>"Achoo!" Ahim and Joe sneezed in unison as they entered the grocery store.<p>

"I think somebody is talking about us, Joe-san," Ahim supposed, while Joe took a basket.

"I'll bet its Luka and the rest up there," Joe muttered darkly. "We should find the things that Doc needs for the pantry."

"And then after that, we'll find the ingredients that you need?" Ahim wondered.

"After we find the things that Doc needs," Joe said, leading her down an aisle. "It's not that important right now."  
>"What are you going to be buying anyways?" Ahim followed him, taking a can from the shelf.<p>

"I need some things," Joe replied secretively.

"Can you tell me what you need them for?"

"Later," Joe took another can off from the shelf and dropped it into the basket.

Ahim placed her can into the basket, "Do you promise?"

Joe raised his pinky finger, "I so promise, Ahim-sama."

Ahim giggled, and hooked her pinky, "Why do you call me that?"

"Call you what?" Joe asked nonchalantly, though he knew what she was asking about.

"Why do you call me 'Ahim-sama'?" Ahim repeated.

"It's a small nickname for you, I guess," Joe shrugged. "Whenever I think you're worrying too much, I'll call you Ahim-sama. Do you not like it?"

"No, it's good," Ahim answered. "I just haven't been called that in so long…"

Small tears began to form, as Ahim started to shake a bit.

"What's wrong, Ahim?"

"Nothing," Ahim wiped away her tears, and leaned against Joe, "Why did they have to die?" she asked him. "Why did my family have to die?"

Joe gently stroked her hair, displaying remarkable tact for the situation, "I don't know," he said, "But if they hadn't, you would've never become a pirate, and we would have never had met."

Ahim looked up at him, "Are you happy you met me?"

"Of course," Joe continued to stroke her hair, "We're all family now, right?"

"Yes," Ahim smiled, and hugged him. "We're all family now."

The two pirates looked at each other, lost in their own world, until Joe found that the situation was becoming more than he could handle. With a slight cough, he softly pushed Ahim away.

"We need to find the rest of the groceries," Joe mumbled, hiding his reddening face from her.

"Of course," Ahim replied with a slight bit of confusion.

_What was that? _she thought, _Did he just hug me back? Joe-san never hugs anyone. He usually never shows any emotion._

Puzzled, Ahim pursued Joe down the aisle and into the vegetable section, where most of Doc's items were to be found.

"Which one?" Joe asked her, when she arrived. He was holding a radish in each hand, "Which one is better?"

"Umm," Ahim put a finger near her mouth, and started to bit the fingernail, "That one?"

Joe lifted up the one that she chose, "You're sure that Doc will want this one?"

"Positive," Ahim responded, as she picked other vegetables from the piles around.

The two carried on with the shopping, and soon they were all done.

Ahim crossed off the last item on Doc's list and turned expectantly towards Joe, "Shall we go and get your items now?"

Joe smiled in amusement and pointed down another aisle where ingredients for baking could be found, "That way, please."

"Baking ingredients?" Ahim looked at him in surprise, "We do not have those at the GokaiGalleon?"

"I need to buy specialized ingredients," Joe stooped down to lift up a medium-sized bag of flour, and winced as he felt his wound being touched upon.

"Is there something wrong, Joe-san?" Ahim had noticed the slight movement.

"No," Joe shook his head, "Nothing's wrong. Could you get one of those cans?" he asked, nodding towards a pyramid pile of tin cans.

"Will anyone do?"

"Yes, any one of them will do."  
>Ahim stepped on the first step of the pyramid, and took another step. She carefully climbed the pile, until she reached the top of the pile. Joe, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with his own shopping. Reaching out for the uppermost can, Ahim leaned forward…<p>

and lost her balance. Clutching at thin air, she started to tumble to the floor as thousands of cans began to drop from the pyramid after the falling pirate.

"Ahim!" Joe had finally noticed Ahim. Throwing the groceries somewhere safe, he unsheathed his GokaiSabre and began to slap away the cans with the flat of his blade as he reached the danger zone. Ahim had just reached the ground, just as Joe stepped in front of her, and began to parry all the cans he could away from them.

Ahim attempted to lift herself up, but was stopped by a sharp "Stay down!" from Joe. Nodding in acknowledgment, Ahim obediently covered her face as best as she could with her hands, as Joe continued to deflect the last of the cans.

Panting heavily, Joe plunged his sword into the store's tile floor, using it to rest upon.

"Joe-san," Ahim sprang from the ground and hugged Joe-san from the back.

"Ahim," Joe looked back and saw that Ahim had buried her face into his blue jacket. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," came the small reply. Joe felt small patches of moisture forming on his back, as Ahim began to cry again.

"Ahim, why are you crying?"

"I am so sorry, Joe-san," she said, "For causing you to get injured, and making you have to protect me."

"It's not your fault," replied Joe in amusement. "It was my fault for not telling you how to get the cans properly.

"Besides, I got a full two hours of training down, thanks to that," Joe added with a little smile on his face.

"Really?" Ahim stopped crying, and wiped away her tears.

"Really, Ahim-sama," the swordsman replied. Joe looked away from Ahim, and surveyed the wreckage in the store. "Now then, how are we supposed to clean this mess up."

"Just say 'please'."

Startled, Joe and Ahim looked behind them and saw a familiar figure approaching them, followed by an older looking man wearing a red jacket, and black denim pants. Holding his hand was another woman wearing a pink jacket and a black mini-skirt with leggings.

"Shiba… Kaoru…" Joe slowly rose up and pulled his GokaiSabre from the ground, raising it to eye level with Kaoru, "What do you want?"

"I was walking around, and I thought that you could use some help," Kaoru replied. "Please put away your sword. My son will get nervous."

The man at her side shifted uncomfortably, while the woman shrugged.

"Your… son?" Ahim asked in surprise. "He looks older than you, Kaoru-sama."

"He is," the former bearer of the Shinkengers' Grand Power beckoned the couple forward. "May I introduce to you to the current Head of the Shiba Clan, Shiba Takeru and his wife, Shiba Mako."

"Nice to meet you," Mako bowed, smiling cheerfully. "I've always wanted to meet the pirates that ended up with our powers. So did Takeru, but he never said so."

"Mako!" Takeru shot her a quick look, to which Mako smiled again.

"It's true, though," she replied.

Looking at her son and daughter-in-law with caring eyes, Kaoru turned back to the two pirates with amused eyes. "So about your problem," she said gesturing to the cans and the crack on the ground.

"Can you fix it, Kaoru-sama?" Ahim asked her.

"Of course," Kaoru withdrew her _shodophone _from inside her _kimono_, and motioned for Takeru and Mako to come in help her. Instantly ceasing their bickering, Takeru and Mako walked over to the princess and pulled out their own _shodophones_. Stepping in front of Joe and Ahim, the three of them wrote out 'fix' (繕) with their _mojikara._ The cans flew about and reset themselves into their places, stacking themselves up into a new pyramid, while the hole that Joe had created with his sword patched itself up, as the tile chips melded together and slipped on top of the crack.

Surveying their handiwork, Takeru shut away his _shodophone _stoically, and walked away without saying a work.

"Takeru!" Mako called after him, and turned back towards the pirates, "Sorry about that. He's still a bit shy when it comes to meeting new people."

She ran after her husband, and twined her hand with his. They couldn't hear them from where they were, but Kaoru, Joe and Ahim were certain that Mako was quietly scolding him for not being more social.

"How long have Mako-sama and Takeru-sama been married?" Ahim asked quietly.

"Hmm," Kaoru thought for a few seconds, and then replied, "For around three years, I think. They got married after they had defeated the Gedoushuu."

"Wait," Joe cut in, "How is he your son? He looks older than you."

"He is older than me," Kaoru replied evenly. "He was adopted during the Battle with the Gedoushuu because I was injured."

"I thought so," Joe said with a touch of smugness in his tone. "Because you barely seem older than Ahim."

"Speaking of which, are you two dating?"

Kaoru's question caught both of them off guard as both of them began to blush and squirm nervously. Kaoru laughed softly at their discomfort, remembering how she first felt with Genta.

"Don't worry," she assured them. "I once felt the same way."

With that, Shiba Kaoru left them in the grocery store, leaving them bemused.

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><p>The door's handle turned clockwise as Joe and Ahim stepped through it, each carrying a brown paper bag that was filled with groceries.<p>

Joe shifted his bag over to one hand and offered his hand to take Ahim's bag, "Want me to take it now?"

Ahim shook her head, "No, I will bring it into the galley with you."

She moved onto the galley, leaving Joe standing in the lounge, smiling at how she had become more independent than when he had first met her.

_Wait. _Joe looked around and saw… nobody. It was deserted.

"Marvelous? Luka? Doc? Gai? Navi?" he called out. No one answered him, leaving Joe slight discomforted with the silence and the emptiness at the lounge. With narrowed eyes, Joe followed Ahim into the galley to help her put away the groceries.

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><p>What Joe didn't know was that Marvelous and Luka were currently cramped in the closet beside the couch.<p>

"Stupid Marvelous," Luka hissed. "This is one of your worst plans yet. Why do we have to hide?"

"You were the one that wanted to hide," Marvelous drawled. "I just wanted to sleep."

"So it's my fault?" Luka tried to shift herself, but the closet was far too cramped to move around.

"You were the one that wanted to see how they acted when they were by themselves," Marvelous reminded her. "Isn't that why you told Doc to lead Gai to the _tiger's child?_ Isn't that the reason we're betting shopping duty?"

Luka crossed her arms, "Shut up," she whispered angrily, "They're going to hear us."

"You can't tell me what to do," said Marvelous in a mocking tone.

"But I can make you," Luka clamped her hand over Marvelous' mouth.

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><p>"There, that's the last one," Joe said, as he placed the final package into the fridge.<p>

"But, Joe-san," Ahim looked around. "Why did you need to buy those ingredients?"

Joe looked away, "I'll show you later," he mumbled, not ready to reveal his motive.

"You promise?"

"Yes, Ahim-sama, I promise. I'll show it to you first."

Ahim giggled, "I'll be waiting in my room, then."

"I'll be up there in two hours or so," Joe replied.

Ahim walked out of the small chamber, while Joe took an aluminum bowl out, along with the eggs and flour.

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><p>Carefully holding something in his left hand, Joe ambled up the stairs to the living quarters. Reaching the top of the stairs seemed to take forever, but he persevered and soon found Ahim's room.<p>

Joe rapped his knuckles on the door twice, "Ahim, its Joe."

Ahim's voice trailed through the door, "The door is open, Joe-san."

Joe twisted the doorknob and entered the room slowly, "_Shitsurei shimasu_,"

Ahim was reclining on her bed, her blankets over her. "Are you done?"

"Of course," Joe looked around the room and pulled a chair over. "Would you like to see?"

"If you please."

Pulling his left hand from his back, Joe revealed a small cake that was around seven inches in diameter. It was yellow and had some cream on top, accompanied by a meringue with powdered sugar on it. Chocolate surrounded the base of the cake. It was made of alternating layers of cream and cake, with some pieces of mango within the cream. On the top of the cake, 'Thank You' was written in icing.

"Mango mousse cake, Ahim-sama," Joe announced with a small grin. "For you."

Ahim accepted the cake, "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because you were worrying about me," Joe said simply. "So thank you, Ahim-sama."

"You're welcome, Joe-san," Ahim looked happily at the cake, and then back at Joe. She frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Joe noticed the frown on her face.

"You have some cream on your face again, Joe-san," Ahim told him.

"Where?" Joe lifted up a hand to his face, but Ahim pulled it down.

"It's over here," she said, as she kissed him on the cheek.

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><p>"Damnit, Marvelous! Stop pushing me!"<p>

Luka hit Marvelous and peered again through the keyhole into Ahim's room. What she just witnessed was something that she would have never expected from Ahim.

"Well, well, well," she murmured. "Seems something did happen."

"What's happening, Luka?" Marvelous asked from the floor.

"Ahim kissed Joe on the cheek," Luka reported. "And now it seems that your first mate is feeding her cake?"

"Cake?" Marvelous sprang up from the floor, a catlike smile on his face. "I want cake!"

Marvelous would've almost ran into the room, had Luka not clamped his mouth again and dragged him away.

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><p><strong>Now, I'm sure you're all wondering, why aren't I working like the beast I am on the Shinkenger Wedding fanfic? It's because in order for it to run smoothly, I need the boukenger fic to be complete so the timelines and backgrounds make sense. But then you see here… this fic takes place post-A Bond of Heaven and Fire… :O Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks once again to my editors, Pearl and Lisa… I should really treat you two to something quickly… Summer's almost over too…<strong>


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